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National Parks Welcome 4th Graders with Every Kid in a Park Program

National Parks across the country invite all 4th grade students to visit them as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting in September, 4th grade students can visit www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

"During the National Park Service's centennial celebration, we want everyone to get to know their national parks, and we're offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that national parks offer," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "We hope these free passes for 4th graders will introduce 4th graders, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn."

To receive their free pass for national parks, 4th graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to access their special Every Kid in a Park pass. Fourth graders and their families can then use this pass for free entry to national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from September 1st, 2015 through August 31, 2016.The website also includes fun and engaging learning activities aligned to educational standards, as well as trip planning tools, safety and packing tips, and other important and helpful information for educators and parents.

To celebrate the Every Kid in a Park program the Channel Islands Park Foundation and the National Park Foundation have each provided grants that will support bus transportation for Ventura County 4th grade classes to go to the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura Harbor. Each class will receive a ranger-led program prior to their park visit and all students will become official Junior Rangers.

The goal of the Every Kid in a Park program is to connect 4th graders with the great outdoors and inspire them to become future environmental stewards, ready to preserve and protect national parks and other public lands for years to come.The program is an important part of the National Park Service's Centennial celebration in 2016, which encourages everyone to Find Your Park.

Every Kid in a Park is an administrative-wide effort, launched by President Obama, and supported by eight federal agencies, including the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Education, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Junak's frequent visits to Guadalupe Island have documented in stunning photos the dramatic recovery of vegetation following the elimination of feral goats.The goats nearly exterminated once-extensive stands of endemic cypress, palm, and pine trees.However, there is now hope for the continued survival of many of the island's unique plants.Native plants that have not seen for decades have been found.

Steve Junak, recently retired after working for 37 years at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, has been leading trips to and documenting the flora of the islands of southern California and Baja California since the 1970s.He has co-authored or written a number of publications about the offshore islands, including A Flora of Santa Cruz Island (1995) and A Flora of San Nicolas Island (2008).He has been exploring Guadalupe Island since 1981 and has assisted with conservation efforts on Guadalupe since 2001.

The talk will be held on November 12, 2014. The From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding marine waters. The lectures occur at 7:00 pm on the second Wednesday of March, April, May, September, October, and November at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public.

Channel Islands Park FoundationFormed in 2005, theChannel Islands Park Foundationis the primary non-profit, philanthropic partner of the Channel Islands National Park. Recognizing the challenges of managing the complex island ecosystems and richly diverse cultural resources, the Foundation is committed to supporting the ongoing work of the Channel Islands National Park. In co-operation with the National Park, the Foundation funds restoration and education efforts, to ensure continued protection of the islands' natural and cultural resources. For more information visit:www.ciparkfoundation.org.

National Park FoundationThe National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and the nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help protect more than 84million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, connect all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and inspire the next generation of park stewards. For more information visit:www.nationalparks.org.